The game of football has experienced significant modifications through the years and the art of place kicking for field goals and extra points after touchdown has become highly specialized and plays a significant role in virtually every contest. Whether in precollege, collegiate or professional football games, place kicking has become highly specialized to the point where individual players concentrate solely upon this phase of the game.
Individual players who specialize in place kicking normally require another person to assist during practice for holding the football while the place kicker kicks the held football. Practice sessions may last for hours and the place kicking specialist may become dependent upon having another person available always for holding the football during practice sessions.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for storing a plurality of footballs in a conveniently located hopper and sequentially remove individual footballs and position them in a predetermined position adjacent to the ground readily accessible automatically for place kicking by a place kicker.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that is portable and may be readily moved by one individual who may load a number of footballs into a hopper and remotely actuate the hopper and a mechanism for removing a football from the hopper and positioning the football to a place kicking position without assistance from others.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a self-contained automated football place kicking apparatus in which a football may be withdrawn from a stored position and placed in a kicking position automatically and continuously enabling a place kicking specialist to function independently of others in practice sessions.
Other objectives and many of the attendant advantages of this football place kicking apparatus and method will become readily apparent to football players, athletic directors and coaches from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims in which mechanical equivalents and variations are contemplated therein.